http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=500993Are we in the first stages of a new century of terrorism? The analysts argue over whether ETA or al-Qa'ida are the perpetrators of the killings in Madrid on Thursday. Yet both of these two very different terror groups could have carried out the attacks. We live in a time when terror attacks may come from militant Islam, secessionist fighters, animal rights advocates, lunatic cults, anti-abortionists or drug dealing criminals. In the age of global news, terror is communicated far beyond the scene of a bombing.
Terrorism, with the aim of high casualties, is now a very real threat everywhere. Spain must meet such threats from multiple sources. ETA and al-Qa'ida can both bring random death to the streets of Madrid. Little wonder that leaders everywhere search for quick and easy solutions. The first responsibility of government is the security of its citizens. Yet, it may be time for governments to face up to the limits of their powers. They cannot eliminate crime, disease or natural disasters. They work to reduce the incidence of such events, and over a longer period attempt to tackle the underlying causes. Similarly terrorism will not disappear in the near term, whatever governments may do. Nevertheless, there is much that can be done beyond the rhetoric of "the war on terrorism".
The first and perhaps most difficult task is to treat our citizens as adults. Modern living is full of risks from both natural and man-made hazards. Yet, in the developed world, we are living longer and more productive lives. Terrorism is designed to sow terror. It fails if we refuse to be terrified. The millions of Spaniards who demonstrated on the streets of every town on Friday night showed the way. In Britain, when Irish terrorism threatened security in London, commuters revived the spirit of the Blitz by getting to work through scares and bombs. Travelling to the US last month I found every seat on the American Airlines flight full. People are resilient and cope. In the face of much larger natural disasters such as the earthquake in Iran last December which killed 45,000 people, the people have had to rebuild their lives. In Iraq, we expect the country to establish itself against a backdrop of daily bombings and killings.
In their fight against terrorism governments must co-operate and share intelligence. They must provide adequate emergency response to cope with the aftermath of terror attacks - international co-operation can help here as well. They must work in the long term to isolate extremism wherever it occurs. This will require much more generous help for less fortunate regions of the world. Yet above all else, leaders must resist the temptation to throw away our individual liberties in the hopeless search for absolute security. Coping with terrorism is the challenge of the century.
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